There is something addictive about the joy one gets while scrolling down little collectibles and doing some compulsive window shopping on the laptop. Not to mention the excitement that comes wrapped up in big and small packages. There are lovely shops online that offer competitively priced stuff you won’t find anywhere else. We list four such sites.
Yellowbuttonstore.com
Yellow Button Store is a niche, eclectic space and offers handpicked clothing, jewellery, bags, baskets and home accessories. The clothing section offers stoles, maxis, shrugs, jackets and apparel by middle-of-the-road designers, all priced between Rs 1000 and Rs 6000. The jewellery comes in silver and non silver options and again have the same price range. The design options veer from refined designer twists to tribal funkiness. Shop for witty totes, clutches as well as look out for reclaimed leather bags and stuff from Pure Ghee brand. Prices start as low as Rs 250 for votives.
Theantsstore.com
The Ants Store in Bengaluru is famous for its offline space—a cafe, a hearty breakfast spread and also a sensitive recreation and representation of North Eastern craft traditions. The store is an offshoot of the Ants Craft Trust, a voluntary organisation working on development issues in the North East. While the tasteful store in Indiranagar offers an abundance of pottery, jewellery, handloom products, its online version displays only the choicest picks from the clothing, home furnishing, accessories and handicrafts sections. Prices in most cases do not exceed Rs 5000 and you can feast on handwoven cushions, ceramic necklaces, black pottery, cane and bamboo artefacts and more. This is a feel-good site in more ways than one as with every purchase you are helping to sustain a region scarred by tragedies. Prices start at Rs 200.
happilyunmarried.com
This too is a pioneering brand constantly enjoying a laugh at its own expense. You may have seen their shot glasses and memorabilia at big stores but their website offers much more. From make-believe coconuts, Bhojpuri beer glasses, a nimbu mirchi hanging accessory,dekho magar pyar se mirrors, this site packs in both fun and function. Prices start at Rs 40.
chumbak.com
Chumbak was one of the first brands in India that made kitsch smart and turned everyday Indian witticisms into style statements. While Bangalore has its own Chumbak store now, its online version is no less absorbing. It offers everything from luggage tags to affordable prints, rugs, table lamps, clothing, tableware, footwear and more, all imprinted with the irreverence and tongue-in-cheek references Chumbak has become synonymous with. Where else can you find a travel pillow imprinted with Indian monuments along with a thoughtful eye mask? And charms shaped like PCOs, Indian matchboxes and quirky whistles? And magnets shaped like a Mangola wallah? And decked up autos? Prices start at Rs 95 for their signature notebooks.